Overview
- Justice Department video posted Thursday by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro shows Cole Tomas Allen casing the Washington Hilton the day before the dinner and then sprinting through a security checkpoint with a shotgun.
- Pirro says the footage undercuts friendly‑fire claims, and prosecutors note scene evidence includes a fragment consistent with buckshot after an officer was struck in a ballistic vest and survived.
- The clip captures officers dismantling a magnetometer as Allen rushes the terrace‑level screening area, a K‑9 team pausing at the doorway seconds earlier, and a Secret Service agent firing multiple 9 mm rounds as Allen runs past.
- Allen, 31, remains detained without entering a plea and faces federal counts including attempted assassination of the president, interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony, and discharging a gun during a violent crime, with a preliminary hearing set for May 11.
- Prosecutors say Allen traveled from California with a 12‑gauge shotgun, a .38‑caliber pistol, knives, and ammunition after planning detailed in writings, while the Secret Service defends its multilayered security model as reviews continue.